“OK, but I don’t know what the boss will have to say about this. He’s always been hesitant whenever I’ve wanted to work in the field.”
“I’ve already dealt with that. Tobias agrees.”
“Great! Thanks, Lars!”
“There’s just one problem, Elin.”
Elin said nothing. She seemed to be waiting.
“If we do end up going, it will be tomorrow morning.”
“Tomorrow morning? On a Saturday? And you tell me this now, half an hour before quitting time?”
“Yeah, I know. I understand if you already have plans. But I need someone to come with me.”
“Oh, so for that I’m good enough.”
“Elin, please! Tobias suggested you himself, and I think it’s a great idea. I like working with you, and you know the case inside out. Please don’t leave me hanging!”
“Well, OK, since you asked so nicely, I won’t be that way. But you owe me for this.”
“OK, thanks, Elin. There’s a chance that we won’t be going. Martin may still call. But if I haven’t heard anything by 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, we’re heading out. I’ll come pick you up. Does that work?”
“Yeah, OK. What do I need to bring?”
Elin always wore sports clothes, but that might not be enough this time.
“We may have to crawl around in the woods, so waterproof outdoor clothing. And an overnight kit in case of an emergency.”
“You know, this keeps getting better and better. I do have other plans on Sunday.”
“I said in an emergency.”
“OK, gotcha. See you tomorrow.”
“Ciao.”
Great, Lars thought to himself, at least that was taken care of, although Elin didn’t exactly make it easy. What would driving up with her be like? Hopefully, she wouldn’t bitch the whole way.
Lars still had to break the good news to his family. They were sure to be thrilled, especially his wife Lisa. His oldest daughter had a soccer game tomorrow, and Lars was supposed to take her. Lisa would now have to take that on, and Lars knew how much she loved that.
23
Elin was making herself comfortable on the couch. She had put on a loose-fitting jogging suit, made a couple of pieces of cheese toast, and poured herself a glass of wine. She was waiting for Maja, who would normally have been home by now but had texted that she was running late. That’s what Elin loved about Maja—you could always rely on her.
That obviously wasn’t the only thing she loved about her. Elin smiled. Maja was also seriously good in bed. They had been together for two years now, and it was Elin’s first relationship with a woman. She had tried having a relationship with a guy a couple of times, but somehow it never worked for her. Then she met Maja, and that did it. The same was true for Maja, even though she had another relationship going on at the time. But she knew what she wanted, and she broke up with the other woman. After that, Elin moved in with Maja—and she didn’t regret it one bit. Life with Maja was great. She was also a few years older than Elin, and that felt good. Elin could lean on her.
Of course, Elin’s entire circle of friends knew about her relationship, although her parents had no clue. They thought she was just living with a female friend. Elin had also kept quiet about it at work. Private detectives were a rugged bunch, and she could do without their stupid comments.
There was the sound of a key turning in the door. Elin leapt up, ran over, and threw her arms around Maja in a stormy embrace. Maja smelled good—she had just showered.
“Geez, love, do you mind if I take off my jacket?” Maja protested as she fended Elin off. They gave each other a long, passionate kiss. Finally, Elin let go of Maja so that she could set down her bag and remove her jacket. She unzipped her boots and slipped them off.
“I made cheese toast,” Elin said. “You want a glass of wine with it?”
“No, I’d rather have a beer. I’m thirsty.”
“How was your class?”
“Great! I had three new participants, and one of them was amazing. He gave me a serious workout.”
Maja taught judo and karate, and Elin also attended one of her classes once or twice a week. That was where they had met. Elin had thought it couldn’t hurt for a woman to know a bit about self-defense, especially a woman who wanted to be a private detective. When she combined that with her IT degree, she saw herself as made for the job, but her boss Tobias was apparently not convinced. He was an old-school type who liked to bank on people with prior experience in related professions, like police work. Unfortunately, Elin couldn’t claim that for herself.
Maja sat down on the couch and picked up a piece of cheese toast.
“How was your day?” she asked.
She took a big bite out of the cheese toast. Looked like she was hungry, too.
Elin could no longer contain herself and burst out with the news.
“Guess what? I’ve got my first assignment tomorrow. Lars needs someone to go with him to Dalarna to search for a client. He’s gone missing somehow.”
“That’s great! And your boss approved it?”
“Yeah, Lars hashed it out with him. Amazing, isn’t it?” Elin beamed at her.
“Congratulations! Maybe this is the breakthrough you’ve been waiting for, even if I will miss having you around tomorrow.” Maja shoved the rest of the sandwich in her mouth.
“I hope so. I’ve already laid out all my stuff for the morning. Lars thought we might have to crawl around in the woods.”
“Did you pack your knife and baton?”
“Absolutely!” Elin had a jackknife that in its open position could hold its own with a hunting knife. She also had a baton like the ones the police carried. Both were dangerous weapons. And best of all, she knew how to use them—Maja had shown her a thing or two.
“What do you all know about this missing man? Do you have any leads?” Maja asked.
“Not a whole lot. There’s a summerhouse in Dalarna that he wanted to drive to, but after that, he didn’t call anymore, and we haven’t been able to reach him since. That’s why we want to go look for him tomorrow.”
Maja took a hefty swig of beer. “I know the two of you can do it. And then my little Amazon will be a real PI.”
Elin chuckled. She loved when Maja talked like that. “That’s right! If all goes well tomorrow, then Tobias won’t be able refuse me anymore.”
“I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you. But now it’s time to get comfy, don’t you think?”
Maja gazed at Elin with her dark eyes. Elin melted, and the two of them embraced.
24
Martin was observing Liv as she slept. She had gone into shock after their failed escape attempt, sobbing like a child and lying on the bed in a fetal position. She was still lying that way, with her hands tucked under her chin and her arms and legs pulled tight against her body. Martin himself had an impossible time sleeping, never mind that there was only one bed. He was agitated and had a whole heap of questions, but so far, Liv had been unresponsive.
It was warm in the room, so Martin had removed his rain jacket and boots. He had also relieved Liv of her leather jacket and shoes. That was before she fell asleep and had been able to help. But Martin still felt warm, so he took off his sweatshirt and picked up the water bottle. He walked over to the window and opened it. The guy with the gun was no longer in sight, whatever that meant. Martin hoped he wouldn’t just leave them to their fate, given that their chances of escape were as good as zero. He peered upward through the window bars and looked outside from below, but he could see nothing. The air shaft was too high. They were obviously below ground.
Liv stirred. She had turned onto her back and was now more relaxed. Up above, Martin detected the sound of a car starting, so he moved as close to the window as possible to hear what was going on up there. It sounded like the pickup. The car drove off, and the noise of the engine faded away, so Martin guessed that they were now alone. Whether that did them any good was another question. He opened the
bottle of water and started to drink.
“No! Stop!”
Martin froze.
Liv had sat up and was staring at him. “There’s a sedative in the water. I’ve done nothing but sleep for almost the entire time I’ve been here.”
Martin set the bottle down and screwed the cap back on.
“I see,” he said. “But there’s nothing else to drink here, is there?”
Liv shook her head. “Great combination, isn’t it? An overheated room and nothing to drink but a sleeping potion.”
Martin examined the heater, which had a standard electrical element. You could turn it off on the side and also regulate it by adjusting the knob. He turned it to the lowest setting. “Well, then we’re better off freezing a bit rather than drinking this stuff, right?” he asked.
Liv nodded. “Good idea.”
Martin walked over to her and sat down beside her. “You feeling better?” he asked
“Not really,” Liv replied. “But crying and sleeping did me some good. I feel calmer now. Sorry about all that.”
“No problem. But Liv, could you please tell me what’s going on here? Do you know this guy?”
“No. I honestly have no idea what’s going on. That day at my summerhouse when … when …”
“The day we had our date?”
She thought a bit. “Yes, it must have been that day. Exactly. I was just about to start preparing things for coffee, and I was on the terrace when someone was suddenly standing behind me and pressing a cloth to my face. I think it had chloroform on it. I … I managed to fend him off for a short while, but then I blacked out. When I came to again, I found myself here. I yelled and pounded on the door, but no one answered. I was hungry and thirsty, so I ate the sandwiches and drank the water. After that, I soon fell asleep. That happened a couple of times. I became completely disoriented and had no idea what time or day it was. You said you’ve been looking for me for five days? What does that mean? What day is today?”
“Friday. Our date was supposed to be Sunday.”
“My God, I’ve been here that long?” Liv’s chest caved in, and Martin could see the tears welling up in her eyes again. He put his arm around her. That seemed to calm her.
“Thank you, Martin. That feels nice.” She leaned against him. “Then I realized the sedative was in the water, because he didn’t bring the sandwiches every time, but I would get tired anyway. And I was always awfully thirsty when I awoke. I don’t know if that had something to do with the sedative or if it was because the sandwiches were so salty. Or maybe it was just too warm in here. Anyway, I came up with the idea of using the water glass.”
Martin looked at Liv. There was a questioning expression in his eyes.
She pointed to the window. “I set the glass outside the window over there and managed to collect some rainwater. When I awoke this last time, I was able to drink that instead, which is why the bottle is still full now. That way, I managed to stay awake, and my plan was to take out the kidnapper with the table. But I got you instead. I’m so sorry! Does your shoulder still hurt?”
“Yeah, a little. But that’s not my worst problem right now. Liv, do you have any idea who might be behind your kidnapping?”
Liv shook her head.
“I know about the sale of your company,” Martin continued. “Could that have anything to do with it?”
Liv looked at him in disbelief. “You’re extremely well informed.”
“Yes, that’s a long story. I’ve also experienced a few things since Sunday.”
“Do you want to tell me about it?”
Martin told her everything: about his visits to her house and how he was knocked unconscious and bound hand and foot; about his frustrating experience with the police and the clue that led him to Stockholm; about his success with Lars and their latest findings; and about why he had driven to Dalarna and how he had first found her husband’s summerhouse and then this cabin.
Liv listened intently, her blue eyes fastened on him the whole time. Once he had finished, she gave him a huge hug.
“Oh, Martin, thank you. It’s just incredible what you’ve done—and you don’t even know me.”
“Well, I was determined to get my 200 kronor back.”
She pushed away from him and stared. “What?”
“I loaned you money—at the supermarket. I’m joking, of course.”
Now Liv understood and laughed a heartfelt, honest belly laugh. It had a good ring to it, and Martin joined in. It was a release for both of them.
“Right, exactly! That’s how it all started. Martin, you asked me about the sale of my company. It’s true. My husband was pressuring me to sell the company. At first, I gave in. I also wasn’t sure whether the company was right for me, but it’s not doing badly. In any case, my husband had found a buyer, and we were just about to sign when I started having doubts. I didn’t like the people, I didn’t like the price, and I didn’t want to sell, after all. So we added a clause that I could revoke the contract within a period of two weeks, no questions asked. At that point, I wanted to take some time to think things over again.”
“And that’s why you were at the summerhouse? Why there?”
“I inherited the house from my grandmother, and I have a lot of fond memories of it—I spent many of my childhood summers there. My parents were always working, which is why I spent my summer vacations with Mormor, the Swedish name for the grandma on the mother’s side. My husband had always wanted me to sell that house, but for me, that was an absolute no, even if I was hardly ever there these past few years. But it was lovely being there again. And it quickly became clear to me that I would object to the sale of the company. I told my husband that, too, when I phoned him on Saturday. We had a big fight over it, which was also the reason I took the wrong credit card to the supermarket. It had expired, and I had laid it out with the intention of throwing it away. But after our fight, I was so upset that I wasn’t thinking and simply stuck it in my purse.”
Martin thought a bit. “When does the objection period end?”
“On Monday.”
“So in other words, you had a fight with your husband in which you told him that you had decided against the sale, and the next day, someone kidnapped you and kept you sedated for days on end?”
Liv stared at the floor as she played with one of her blond curls, a look of doubt on her face.
“Yes, I’ve also wondered whether my husband had something to do with it. I don’t want to think ill of him, and I can’t imagine that he would do such a thing. But it is a striking coincidence.”
“Yes, and there’s also the fact that he and his siblings own a cabin very close to this one. Did you know about it?”
“Yes, we’ve been there a few times, but just briefly to visit his sister’s family when they were there on vacation. We never used the cabin ourselves. But you’re right. The fact that we now find ourselves locked up near that cabin, of all places, unfortunately fits the version with my husband.” Liv knit her brow, with all its freckles. “So what do we do now? Do you see any way of getting us out of here?”
“Not on our own.” Martin waved his arm around the room. ”These are concrete walls, the window has bars, and we’re dealing with a steel door with a strong lock. The way I see it, we have just two possibilities: either this guy will make a mistake—but I don’t think he will, because our escape attempt should make him even more cautious; or—and this is what I hope will happen—the private detective I hired will find us. He should be missing me at any rate, and he knows where I went. Maybe he’ll find this hideaway the same way I did. By now, both our cars are probably sitting in the yard. That should be a clear giveaway. The only thing I don’t know is when he’ll make it here. It may not be until Monday, which means that there will be next to no time left for you to object.”
“Oh, that doesn’t matter. I can live without the company. I just want to get out of here and back to my children.”
“How old are they?”
&
nbsp; “Saga is ten, and Hampus is eight. I miss them.”
Martin swallowed. For a while, they were silent. Then Martin finally spoke.
“All right, so what’s our strategy now? Do we try to stay awake? That means we’ll be dying of thirst. Or do we take turns sleeping? Under no condition should we give this guy a chance to go in and out while we’re both drugged.”
Liv got up from the bed and walked over to the window. Reaching her arm through the bars, she pulled in the water glass. It was empty. Disappointed, she put it back.
“Maybe it will rain some more later on,” she said. She went back to the bed. “I think it’s a good idea to take turns sleeping. Are you very thirsty?”
“No, I can hold out a while.”
“All right, then I’ll drink now.” Liv took the bottle, opened it, and paused. She looked at Martin.
“It’s a funny feeling. I mean, drinking the stuff when you know it will put you to sleep. And when you don’t know what will happen while you’re out.”
“I’ll watch out for you.”
“Thank you, Martin. But don’t place yourself in danger again! I hope nothing bad happens while I’m asleep.”
She hugged him briefly and drank, leaving the bottle half full. Afterwards, she lay back down on the bed and pulled the covers over her. Martin wished Liv good night, and less than five minutes later, she was fast asleep, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
Martin desperately hoped that Lars would try to find him. They had a good understanding, and Lars had also told Martin some things about his own personal life. Martin found it interesting that Lars, like Liv, had such pleasant childhood memories. Both in the same way, too: vacations at their summerhouses, the one in the north, the other in the south of Sweden. Was that a coincidence? Or was that typical of Sweden? In any case, there was plenty of space here, and many families owned summerhouses. In Germany, that was more often the exception.
Martin’s own childhood was not especially positive in retrospect. His parents had not had much money, and vacations were rarely a part of their lives. All he could remember were a couple of times in Bavaria at a small pension. He was the youngest of three siblings. The others were older by five and seven years, which meant that he was usually left out of their games. He had never been especially athletic, either, so he had no hobbies like soccer, and he was usually one of the last to be chosen for the school team. He made the most of the situation, though. Despite his parents’ and siblings’ lack of support, he finished his law studies, and his law practice did extremely well.
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